He sat there with hope filled eyes, one arm around me. “I love you,” he blurted. I had not expected it; I had never had a guy besides family tell me those 3 little words. With my face beet red, a smile formed around my teeth. “I love you too,” I finally replied and then we kissed for the second time.

You will never forget your first love. There is no other form of romantic love that is as memorable, as sweet, or as exhilarating. It is almost drug-like, habit forming. One day without that drug is not a day at all. It is lonely and all you can think about is the feeling it brings and when you will see that person again.

I met my first love interest when I was 14. He was my first kiss, first boyfriend, and first love. I was naïve at the time; everything was new to me. I had close friends, which I never had before, my appearance changed, for the better, and I was confident in myself.

We met in the oddest fashion. My friend Hayley and I were walking down the road from the store and were approached by three boys who were a couple years older than us. It was a boring summer night, so we all started talking. Hayley and I took a new interest in them; Dustin, John, and Coty were a breath of fresh air for us. Once Hayley and Dustin started dating, we found ourselves going over to his house a lot more. When they would be off canoodling, Coty, John, and I would all hangout. Coty was different from Dustin and John; he wasn’t arrogant or cocky, he was truthful and compassionate.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with him; we were just good friends in my eyes, until one night. It was a pre-birthday party for me at Hayley’s house, but really it was just an excuse for her sister’s friends to get wasted. That wasn’t my scene and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. After a while, Hayley and I found ourselves walking down the street to see if our boys were home. Coty was the only one there, so we went to his parents RV to hang out.

His parent’s RV was a haven for us in the fall and winter months. It offered warmth from the cold autumn breeze and shelter from the pouring Oregon rain. The shabby RV was old but comfortable. It was a perfect hangout because Hayley and I were afraid of his parents.

After talking for a little while, Hayley went back to the party and I stayed behind. There in that old RV, Coty and I had a heart to heart. He told me of his family life, how his real mother died, and all of his brothers (there are a lot!) In return, I painted him a picture of my close-knit family, my parents’ divorce, and my boring life.

There was a spark between us that night, and I didn’t know if he felt the same as I did. But laying there side by side talking for hours, it would have been crazy of him not to. Mid- conversation, we finally kissed. It was indescribable. I never knew you could care about someone that fast. Before I got up to leave, he blurted what I was feeling like saying. Those three little words no one quite understands until later in life were spoken to ME.

In Tiffany Sharple’s essay, “Young Love”, she describes stages of love from birth to the teenage years. Even as babies we begin to see how intermediate relationships work; we bond with our parents by touch and charm, cute coos and smiles. During school age, we as children form groups of the same sex; girls only play with the other girls, and boys only play with boys. As we hit puberty, we start pairing off. These relationships usually don’t last long because “adolescence is a time for experimentation.” She also states that by the time we’re 18, 80% of us have been in a meaningful romance.

As meaningful as our relationship was then, it is greater now. At that age, you think you love someone, and you do to the best of your ability, but you don’t realize how much you really love someone until that love conquers time. Coty and I have been together for four years now. After all of the hurdles we have overcome together, we are stronger than most couples our age. We have broken up numerous times just to find our way back to each other. I’ve seen what else is out there and so has he. We are the exception to Sharple’s statement that relationships as teenagers don’t last. Although our love is great now, it will only grow with time.